January 29, 2024 – Story by Ava DiCecca, photos by Joshua Ross
The game came down to wire for Harbormen basketball last Friday as they took on a highly competitive Marshfield team but they were able to finish strong and come out with a 59-56 win. Marshfield was consistent and outscored the Harbormen in the first half but the boys gained momentum in the third and began to bounce back. The shots started falling, they drew fouls, and the energy on and off the court was electric. They passed the lead back and forth for much of the fourth quarter but thanks to some team chemistry and a few key players, they were able to come away with the win.
In particular, senior Killian La Tanzi was lights out with 19 points and 12 rebounds and was an instrumental part of keeping the Harbormen in the game during the first half. Even before the team found their stride, he was able to get to the basket and draw fouls allowing them the chance at a comeback. Late in the game, it was Senior Captains Chase Mello and Noah Manning that generated the big time points needed to close out this game. Mello had 14 points on the game and Manning had 18 but it was the combined 9 points from the line in the final 2 minutes of the game that put the team ahead. Manning sparked this incredible final two minutes, getting fouled on a three pointer and hitting all three foul shots, ending the game 8 for 9 from the line. This lit a fire under the whole team that was just too much for Marshfield to handle as they were forced to throw up a contested three at the buzzer, ending with a Harbormen victory.
While those impact players were instrumental to the win, it was their ability to gel as a team in the third quarter that led to their overall success. Head Coach Kniffen spoke on that focus as well, “We played well and we played well together as a team and thats been every emphasis from us but also from them over the past couple weeks.” They have had many close games like this so far and he believes it is “an indicator of our improvement and the experience that we have gained at this point in the season.” He commented that they have been focusing simply on what they need to do to play their best all throughout the season and the way they were able to flip the switch in the third quarter and finish strong in the end is a huge testament to that. Lastly, when asked how they were able to flip that switch and find their momentum, Kniffen stated “I think that the name of the game, especially tonight, was momentum. They went on their runs, we went on our runs. Fortunately, we had that last run that got it done for us at the end.”
There is no doubt that this game was as close as they come but the boys should gain immense confidence in their ability to close it out and secure the win. They will look for their sixth win of the season on Tuesday against Plymouth North and, after being on the wrong side of close games for some of their season recently, this win should mark an immense shift and we can expect to see those tight games ending a lot like this one as their season progresses.